SpaceX Crew Dragon completes first unmanned flight test

The Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule completed its historic unmanned flight test on Friday with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean right on time at 8.45 a.m. EST.

The uncrewed demonstration mission, called Demo-1, is the first flight test of a space system designed for humans and built and operated by a US commercial company through a public-private partnership.

“Today’s successful splashdown of the @SpaceX Demo-1 #CrewDragon capsule after its mission to @Space_Station marked another milestone in a new era of human spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a tweet.

The capsule undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday 2.32 a.m. ET.

NASA and SpaceX will use the Demo-1 data to further prepare for Demo-2, the manned flight mission that will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS. It is currently targeted for July.